Freelance Writer

It's one of the most puzzling challenges in addiction treatment: of the 20 million Americans who suffer from a substance abuse disorder, 19 million of them — 95 percent — say they don't need any help. In the past, such people were dismissed as "in denial." But a group of psychologists now have a different understanding of their mindset, and have developed a counterintuitive approach that family members can use to persuade these struggling loved ones to seek help. Helm wrote about the approach, called Community Reinforcement and Family Training, or CRAFT, for the Boston Globe. It ran on the front page of the Sunday Ideas section.